Tricky Stewart talks Frank Ocean’s new album

Frank is on is my label through Universal. I’ve had my own label where I do all my records for Universal. I was just with him last night. It’s incredible. Watching Frank make his record is nothing short of amazing. I really believe that he’s a rare talent. I think he’s on his way to a very special place as an artist and I’m really happy for him.

My job is to just make sure that he’s happy, to facilitate his creativity. My philosophy in signing artists is that I like to sign artists and be involved with artists that don’t need me. So that’s kind of by design in a sense. I like artists that when they need a hit, they can sit down and write one themselves and don’t have to look around the industry to find one. Frank has definitely written and produced his record and it’s pretty amazing. I think it will be one of the biggest albums to come out in a while, which is very, very special.

He’s working very hard to finish this album for his fans, so I’m sure it will be soon. It’s very highly anticipated in the U.S. and overseas, so he’s working hard to get it done. But he’s a perfectionist and he’s trying to get it right for his fans and for his supporters.

I’d like to let Frank unveil his surprise. I don’t want to put all these topics out of what he’s putting out creatively in print. I’d rather let him get a chance to roll it out and say it the way he wants it to be heard.